Poll clips at plush plexes

ARTI S. SAHULIYAR

The first round of Lok Sabha elections in Jharkhand having drawn a moderate turnout in four constituencies on Thursday, Ranchi and Jamshedpur are leaving no stone unturned to boost their own on April 17.

Crowning a slew of Election Commission, district administration and corporate measures to augment voter count are brief awareness videos that multiplex owners in the city are thrusting on movie-goers at the beginning of each show and during their intervals.

Capital’s plush plex trio Glitz, Eylex and Fun Cinemas are already screening the two-minute clips, where people from various walks of life are seen appealing for votes for the right candidate. The steel city will add the reel poll dose to its routine entertainment from Saturday.

“The videos will be shown till April 16, the eve of the second round of Lok Sabha elections in the state. The objective is to hammer in the point that not a single vote should be wasted. The target is to send deserving candidates to Parliament from Ranchi and elsewhere,” said Eylex director Akash Jalan.

He added that a few days ago, all multiplex owners had a meeting with district returning officer and Ranchi deputy commissioner Vinay Kumar Choubey and were directed to run the videos.

On the response, Jalan maintained that plex officials had interacted with cine buffs who had sounded positive. “They have promised to exercise their adult franchise. Our mantra will definitely work. We are also offering 30 per cent discount on movie tickets.”

Echoing Jalan, Glitz manager at GD High Street Mall Dhruv Kushwaha said: “We have found people very receptive to the idea of short awareness videos. There are also posters in lobbies urging people to vote. People who come to see movies are heard discussing elections. We are sanguine that the right candidate will be selected.”

The lobby slogans at Glitz include “hamara vote banayegahamara bhavishya” and “main vote doongi ek sunehre bhavishya ke liye”. “This strategy to encourage voters through a plex campaign is praiseworthy. We are also offering 15 per cent discount on tickets,” Kushwaha added.

The Telegraph had reported on Thursday that Fun Cinemas would organise open forums for voters on April 12 and 13. “All preparations have been made and we are expecting the meet to be successful. Our initiative will definitely help rope in the maximum number of voters on April 17,” said Ritesh Kumar, assistant manager (mall operations) at Spring City Mall, which houses the multiplex.